Cougars Win in 12, Lose in 8
June 2, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Kane County Cougars News Release
Peoria, IL - The Kane County Cougars and Peoria Chiefs played a pair of extra-inning games on Thursday at O'Brien Field. The Cougars, leading 1-0 entering the third inning after a rain-suspended contest the night before, continued to a 2-1 victory in 12 innings before falling 7-6 in eight frames in the back end.
Wes Long's solo home run with one out in the top of the 12th lifted the Cougars in the first game, breaking a 1-1 tie that had been in place since the eighth inning when Jeff Gray allowed his only tally. Gray, taking over for Vince Mazzaro after the long rain delay from Wednesday, pitched seven innings of one-run, five-hit ball. Dan Fyvie (1-1) got the win after Long's homer, and Steve Sharpe notched his 11th save. Jeff Teasley (1-2) was hooked with the loss.
Reliever T.J. Franco started the second game for the Cougars and gave up a three-run round-tripper in the bottom of the second for a 3-0 deficit, but Kane County answered in the third versus Jesse Estrada. Jeff Baisley extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run single, and Nick Blasi made it 3-3 by scoring on a wild pitch.
Franco allowed a two-run shot in the third and left afterward, giving way to Joe Piekarz, who served up a solo shot for another three-run deficit, 6-3, before settling down to give the Cougars' offense a chance. Baisley drove in Blasi with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to cut it to 6-4.
Then the Kane County offense came through again in the seventh with two runs against Ed Campusano, the league's saves leader. Steve Kleen tripled and scored on a Baisley single. Anthony Recker's double put two men in scoring position, and Jose Pineda collected a sacrifice fly RBI to even the score, 6-6.
The tie remained until the last of the eighth when the Chiefs scored against Ron Madej on a close play at the plate. Madej (1-1) took the defeat, and reliever Matt Avery (3-2) nailed the win.
The Cougars (32-21), still atop the Western Division by 1 1/2 games, return home to face the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays in a four-game series that starts Friday night at 6:30. Jason Ray (4-1, 3.66) is set to face the visitors' Greg Reinhard (0-4, 5.44).
Midwest League Stories from June 2, 2006
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- Pineda, Cougars Clobber Devil Rays - Kane County Cougars
- Perdomo has rare blown save, Swing slides past the Whitecaps - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Late-game heroics propel QC to first four-game winning streak of the season - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Dayton Drop Series Opener to Beloit 3-2 - Dayton Dragons
- Big First Inning Sinks Bees - Burlington Bees
- Evenson Joins Chiefs; Morgan on DL - Peoria Chiefs
- Cougars Win in 12, Lose in 8 - Kane County Cougars
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